Question Regarding Hunger

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sibyl
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Question Regarding Hunger

Post by sibyl » Tue Sep 06, 2005 6:44 pm

Okay, so I was on vacation in BC (Vancouver, to be exact) and I went for a long walk every single day. I also only had two meals a day, as the trip budget was stretched as it was. Breakfast at the B&B around 8 or 9 am, and then some kind of supper anywhere between 3 and 8 pm. And you know what? I wasn't hungry. Oh, maybe I had a piece of fruit or a granola bar around noon-ish, or maybe not. But I was never really hungry.
Now that I'm back at work, I figured that since I could get by on two meals a day while hiking on mountains and swiming in oceans and urban rangering all around Vancouver, I could probably get by with two meals a day while sitting on my a** at work all day. I'm using less 'fuel' from my body. And, it would certainly help with the gas prices hiking the way they are.
But I am so HUNGRY. I have a carb and protein combo for breakfast, and a big carb and protein combo for supper, and a piece of fruit at 'lunch', and I'm really, really hungry all day long. I wake up hungry and I go to bed hungry.
What's up? I'm trying all the old standbys from when I started No-S and eliminating snacks, but gum and lots of water just doesn't seem to be helping, and I'm on the second week of this.
Any advice or explanations would be helpful.

Thanks.

-sibyl
(who has been gone for a while but has not disappeared)
"I have no idea what you're talking about, so here's a bunny with a pancake on its head".

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Sep 06, 2005 6:51 pm

Hi Sibyl :)
Not sure what to suggest about your unexplained hunger, but I just wanted to say
WELCOME BACK!
We missed you!
I'm glad the two meals were sufficient during your trip, but if it's not right now, just eat three... Maybe include a lot of fibrous veggies like celery and stuff!
Love,
8) Deb

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Justin
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Post by Justin » Tue Sep 06, 2005 7:15 pm

As a total guess... might have something to do with leptin levels. I think the theory is that leptin somehow determines when to signal the body to burn vs store fat. When active, your body knows to burn the fat and not store it. Now that you've relaxed (ie. the hunt for the wooly mammoth is over) your body is getting signals to store up the fat again!

Really... that's a complete guess. I know there's been a lot of studies about leptin.

Another thought might be that you were so preoccupied with your vacation and running around that your body didn't have a chance to recognize a hungry stomach.

J

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navin
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Post by navin » Tue Sep 06, 2005 11:24 pm

Maybe you should pretend you're "starting over". Well, from my experience, the hunger thing was worse at the beginning, and it took a while to figure out what size meals I need and stuff like that. Eating the right amount for your meals makes a lot of difference. Maybe all you need is just a tune-up (and maybe an oil change too) to return to your normal routine after the vacation.

(p.s., welcome back!)
Before criticizing someone, you should try walking a mile in their shoes. Then you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Sep 06, 2005 11:39 pm

Navin that signature quote is soooo you!!!
Love it!
8) Deb

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peetie
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Post by peetie » Tue Sep 06, 2005 11:46 pm

Welcome back!

I think, with a few exceptions, ofcourse, that most of us really need three meals. It's just too much time between meals to have just two. And vacations for some reason just put our bodies in a different rhythm.

Maybe you should try going with three meals.....there's no pleasure in being hungry all day, that's for sure. And the beauty of NoS is you don't have to be!

Peetie

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carolejo
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Post by carolejo » Wed Sep 07, 2005 11:25 am

I don't know why it is, but it's a common and well known phenomenon.

It's also the reason why farmers pen their stock!

C.
CaroleJo

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sibyl
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Post by sibyl » Wed Sep 07, 2005 11:42 am

I've thought of going for a walk at lunch instead of having lunch. The beauty of the new office rules is that we can no longer eat at our desks, so I can't do both.
Its just right now they're in the middle of construction (our half of the building is done, but not the other one), and I don't fancy walking about either a parking lot full of cars (the safe part) or a construction yard (the unsafe part). The new office is not condusive to walking as a form of excersie, that's for sure.
I'm having a bigger breakfast today. Hopefully that will tide me over. And its not like I'm having nothing...I have grapes for a mid-afternoon 'snack/lunch' thing for the blood sugar levels.
Hope it works.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, so here's a bunny with a pancake on its head".

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Wed Sep 07, 2005 7:11 pm

Hi Sibyl,

I wouldn't wrack my brains too much over why 2 meals no longer does it, hunger-wise. The surprising thing is that it ever did. 2 meals might work for certain exceptional people and under certain exceptional circumstances, but if it's not working for you now, just stop worrying and go up to 3. 3 is sufficient, it's humane, and it has most people in most places for most of history to back it up.

Reinhard

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Tonsha
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Post by Tonsha » Thu Sep 08, 2005 8:58 am

Hi Sybil.

Maybe it's just a case of habit and conditioned reflexes again.

In your normal place of work, you are used to eating 3 (or however many) meals a day plus snacking. You may have done this for years. So there are all these snacking 'triggers' in that environment that ring the bell (Pavlov's Dog, yes?).

The fact that your job is boring, only exacerbates the problem. What does your mind focus on when you are performing tasks that no longer require full concentration? It falls back into existing habits - snacking/hunger.

But on your vacation you are out of your normal environment. Away from all of the old triggers. Your body and mind are having to deal with a whole load of new experiences and stimuli. You are re-training your body to a *new* set of habits, all unknowingly. Your mind has to listen to your body to tell you when to feel hungry instead of being 'trggered' by all of the external stimuli in your normal environment.

Now, the point about No S is that you are *conciously* trying to re-train your mind/body to a new set of habits, while still sitting in an environment where all of the old triggers and habits are. So you need to make the new habits as simple as possible. Stick with three meals a day (just as Reinhard suggests) becasuse this is the easiest option.

But you may also be able to reduce the hunger triggers by altering your environment slightly. Re-arrange your desk. Set up your VDU on the right instead of the left. change the ornaments and cuddly toys. Change the desktop wallpaper and the colours on your computer. Get a new cup and try a new drink instead of what you normally have. That sort of stuff.

Change the triggers in your environment to force you mind/body to accept new triggers. Triggers that you *conciously* associate with the new habits.

(Wow - that was an incredibly long rant about something I know very little about)

Anybody agree/disagree with this?

DaveA
"The best diet is the one you don’t know you’re on" - Brian Wansink

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Thu Sep 08, 2005 12:58 pm

Dave, that was a great post! Really brilliant!
We all have insight and it doesn't require that we are proven "experts" at the subject...
All those ideas are excellent... I especially like the idea of changing the desk environment, and creating a new slate, so to speak, in our old rituals... Yes, routines should be challenged sometimes, especially when we are going for "out with the old" stuff..
Bad habits are part of a big old mess of stagnated energy and why not start "unstagnating!" (great new word eh?)
I think your point about actively trying to take our unconscious and make it conscious as well as actively creating an environment which will support the whole new scheme is terrific!

You are a mere pup at "Rants" my dear...
Take it from an expert! LOL...
And you are sure right about Pavlov's Dog and those triggers!
Ruff!
Oh how about taking the NoS logo and putting it on your screensaver!!! LOL!!!!!
Peaceandlove,
Deb

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sibyl
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Post by sibyl » Thu Sep 08, 2005 6:33 pm

Now if only I had toys/suffed animals or a background pic to change! :lol:

I've found this week that I simply cannot go from breakfast to dinner without eating something - my head gets fuzzy and I can't concentrate on anything (blood sugar dropping too much?), which might be okay if I was at home vegging out, but not okay when I'm trying to work at work.
:P
However, if I have a piece of fruit and maybe a granola bar or small muffin or something, I can last until I get home. I just keep reminding myself I'm not actually starving, and that helps a lot. So does very cold water.

This is an experiment, no doubt on that. I figure that if this is still really hard to do next week, I'll go back to a 'regular lunch'. I'm just going to keep it small and save the big meals for when I'm at home and have time to enjoy them. 3 meals a day is certainly a lot easier! :wink:

I've really enjoyed some response about why I'm more hungry sitting around than I was moving around. Keep the theories coming.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, so here's a bunny with a pancake on its head".

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Thu Sep 08, 2005 6:44 pm

Dude!
Just eat some lunch!!!
Sometimes I just have a fruit and call it lunch!

I'm tellin ya.. thinking versus vegging out, requires some "Gu Chi"
(Energy we get from our daily food...)
When I go to the gym, my lunch usually consists of a roll with a few slices of cheese and a fruit...
I really don't think you will earn any extra points or stars for depriving yourself of something for lunch!
Just a little one! LOL...
Love,
8) Deb

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sibyl
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Post by sibyl » Thu Sep 08, 2005 6:50 pm

:lol:

I'm not trying to earn any 'stars', Deb. Just trying to prove to myself that I'm in charge, not my body. My body's been calling the shots for far too long in my life.

Like I said, just an experiment.

Thanks, though. Its nice to have people saying 'eat something' instead of 'you're eating *again*?" :P
"I have no idea what you're talking about, so here's a bunny with a pancake on its head".

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Thu Sep 08, 2005 6:53 pm

Yeah, I kindof didn't really pick the right way to say that!
Sorry.. I guess, I needed to really hear what your motivation for that two meal thing was, considering it's not seeming to be doing you too much good in the past few days...
But, didn't mean to belittle anything positive about your personal plan!!!
Love ya girl!
Peace,
8) Deb

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